Six feet under
by wolfypuppypiles
Summary: The team is trapped and outnumbered with no means of escape. Lance comes up with a really stupid plan that Keith is definitely not okay with. (Full fic of one of the stories Keith told to Lances family in my other fic 'coming home'
1. Chapter 1

Keith cursed and ducked behind the boulder once more. They were surrounded.

"Pidge, we have any friends nearby that can help us out?"

The girl shook her head, tapping at the holo screen she'd installed in her amour.

"Allura and Coran are too far out to get to us on time and none of our allies are even close to this location. The lions too."

Lance watched the small army of galra soldiers through the scope of his rifle.

"We're outnumbered more than five to one. There's no way we're beating them in a fight."

Shiro swore as Keith pulled lance back behind the boulder. They had gotten the materials they'd gone to the planet for but now they had to get them out.

"This is one of the last pieces for the weapon that will defeat Zarkon. We cannot let them get their hands on it."

Lance scoffed from his crouched position, watching the galra guards get closer.

"Yeah, well despite how important that is I also wouldn't be too thrilled to be captured and killed. Do I need to remind you that if we get captured the galra get voltron? If it comes down to that weapon or us I'm choosing us."

Keith yanked his boyfriend down again.

"They're going to find us any minute and there's no coverage to make a run for it, so what's the plan here?"

Hunk started pulling things out of his pockets, twisting wires together to a slab of putty. "If we can get them all in that tunnel we can blow it up with them inside but I only have enough for one grenade and I'm making it out of scraps so it doesn't have more than a few seconds after you detonate it. That's not enough time to throw it from here. We'll have to get closer."

Lance bit his lip, eyes focussed on the ground in that intense way of his when he thought of a really bad idea. Keith noticed and grabbed his arm.

"Whatever your thinking? Stop it right now. We are not going with another one of your self-sacrificial plans."

Lance frowned back. "We have about a minute before they find us and this is the only plan I have. I'll be careful, just let me explain what we're doing before we run out of time."

Keith knew from the look in Lance's eyes, that he would not like whatever it was. But he was right, they were out of time. He nodded.

"Okay, I'll surrender and make it look like I'm alone. They might take some convincing so tell your lions to take off as if you're all leaving the planet without me. I'll take the bomb with them into the tunnel and set it off. I'll run for it as soon as I throw it in. Hopefully it'll take out enough of them to give us a chance."

Hunk nodded as he finished making the bomb and handed it to Lance.

"This is the trigger switch. Throw it very far and run like hell, it won't give you much time before it blows that whole tunnel down."

The blue paladin nodded and handed his bayard to Pidge but Keith was shaking his head, breaths coming in angry pants.

"Why do you have to do it? I'm the fastest runner, I'd have a better chance of getting away before it-"

Lance shook his head but couldn't meet Keith's eyes. He knew how slim a chance he had of getting out of this alive and he didn't want his boyfriend seeing how scared he was.

"Blue is still weak from the crash on the last mission, I won't be able to communicate with her from this far and the galra might be dumb but they can count and they'll know you aren't alone. Let me do this Keith."

The red paladin looked as if he wanted to protest again but instead grabbed lance's collar and pulled him forward for a kiss.

Keith felt his chest ache. He hated how much it felt like goodbye. He met lances eyes with his own, earnest and begging.

"Be careful, come back to me. I love you."

Lance rubbed his thumb over Keith's shoulder where he held it.

"I love you too."

Keith didn't want lance to go. But the soldiers were almost on them. Lance stood from behind the rock, the grenade tucked in his pocket. He threw his hands up as the soldiers aimed their weapons at him.

"Stop! I'm unarmed. I surrender."

One of the soldiers came towards him, gun raised as he went to look behind the boulder.

"Where is the rest of your team. We know they landed here with you."

Lance shrugged, smirking.

"They landed with me sure but this was a solo mission. You aren't getting them."

He tapped a hand against his helmet, activating the coms.

"Go guys!"

The team, still hidden behind the boulder connected to their lions, getting them to take off. The galra soldiers cursed as they watched the lions fly away in the distance. One of the guards grabbed lance's arm and started dragging him over to the tunnel.

No one was Interested in the boulder now that the rest of the paladins were supposedly gone but they were not happy.

"Take the blue paladin inside, if he's here his lion is too."

Keith listened as Lances feet scuffled against the ground and retreated to the tunnel. Once he was sure no one was close enough to see him he peeked over the rock. Lance was walking into the tunnel with the galra who were helpfully all within bomb distance.

Their plan was working. Or it would have if the galra hadn't secured the tunnel.

Once Lance was inside, the galra activated a safety measure to make sure their prisoner wouldn't escape. Green lasers flickered to life at the entrance of the tunnel. Keith's stomach dropped.

"He won't be able to get out before the bomb goes off. He's trapped. We have to think of something else, he is not detonating that bomb."

Shiro relayed the sentiment to Lance through the coms before addressing Pidge.

"Could we get the lions here? Now that the galra think it's only Lance we have enough time for them to come."

Pidge shook her head, looking panicked as she typed at her holo screen.

"Actually, we don't. The galra are setting up a message for Zarkon. In two minutes, he'll know the blue lion is here and the rest are nearby. Even if we did get Lance out we would still have to fight Zarkon and without the weapon we've been waiting for we'll lose. We have to stop that message."

Hunk looked sick.

"That tunnel has to blow."

And Lance knew it. Keith watched as the blue paladin sent one last look their way.

The team looked at each other. None of them wanted this to happen, but there just weren't any other options. Keith saw their looks of defeat and shook his head furiously.

"No, he isn't doing it. Lance, don't you dare detonate that bomb, we'll think of something else."

His voice cracked as he begged his boyfriend not to go through with it because he knew Lance wouldn't listen.

"Please, baby. Think of something else. I- I can't lose you." His cheeks were wet and he scrunched his eyes shut, desperately trying to turn his grief into anger. Anger was hot and burned everything else away, it was much easier to deal with than the chest crushing agony he felt when he thought about living without Lance. He took a shuddering breath and slammed his fist against the ground, getting ready to jump up and go after his team mate.

Hunks solemn voice came through the coms as Shiro grabbed Keith around the middle, stopping him from leaping up from their only cover.

"Lance, throw it as far as you can and try to find cover before it blows. I'm… I'm so, sorry."

Keith fought against Shiro's hold, hands gripping the metal arm as he kicked but he couldn't fight free and Shiro's hand was covering his mouth before he could yell out protests. His voice came close to his ear, as shaky and thick with tears as the others had been.

"Keith, you can't give away our position. I'm sorry, I really am sorry but once that tunnel blows Lance is going to need help getting out and we can't do that if we get captured too. This is our only option."

Keith stopped fighting enough that Shiro let him go and he slumped, chest heaving as he sobbed.

"I can't live without him. Please, don't do this."

Pidge sniffed as she spoke to Lance through her helmet.

"It has to be now Lance. The transmission to Zarkon is almost up."

Lance had been sat down on a crate and was being watched by multiple guards. He knew he couldn't get out and his heart broke at hearing his boyfriend beg him to stop. But he needed to save them. He lifted a slow hand to his helmet while the other went for the grenade. He turned on the coms and tried to keep his voice steady.

"I'm sorry."

He threw the bomb to the far end of the tunnel and ducked low to the ground, behind the crate he had been sitting on. And then the tunnel exploded.

Keith screamed as the explosion hit, Lance disappearing as the tunnel began to collapse. Fire overtook the back where the blast originated and the front entry fell into a cloud of smoke as it turned to rubble. The galra inside would be crushed and the guards outside the tunnel had been taken out by the blast wave and falling debris. The plan worked and Lance was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Keith's throat was raw from the force of his screams as the tunnel collapsed, encasing Lance in a stone tomb made of rubble and dirt. Shiro wrapped his arms around his waist as he tried to run towards the wreckage, and he fought as well as he could with his tears blinding him.

Shiro watched the tunnel collapse with a heavy heart, wishing he could have taken the brave young paladins place. But he couldn't lose Keith too, so he held him back despite the way it hurt to do nothing to help their friend.

Once the flames were choked by the settling dust, and the rubble stopped moving, the team made their way over to assess the damage. The galra were all gone, and the paladins called their lions back as Pidge called Allura and Coran for help.

Keith started pulling at the wreckage, his voice broken and thick as his hands shook.

"We have to find him. We have to get him out."

Shiro put a hand on his shoulder, trying to sound reassuring as Keith paused to wipe his eyes.

"We will. But we need to make sure it's safe first, we don't want to pull anything out and make it worse." He turned to the other two.

"Pidge can you scan the wreck and find out where Lance is? We need to know if the remaining structure is stable enough to dig him out."

The green paladin hummed, unsure. She shrugged as she looked to Hunk for confirmation.

"It seems to be safe enough but there's too much compacted rock and debris for any sensors to accurately locate Lance and the fires prevent us from using heat tracking. His coms and suit's telemetry went offline when the tunnel blew, probably for the same reasons."

Hunk nodded and brought up his own holo screen. "We could set up a sensor to pick up sound although it'll be tricky since there's a lot for the sound waves to bounce off from but if I calibrate it properly we should be able to pick up any heartbeats under there and we can locate Lance using that."

 _If he's alive._

No one said it but everyone felt it.

Pidge took a scan of the rubble and deemed it stable enough, while Hunk worked on the new sensor.

Keith dove back to the task of digging as Shiro helped. The smell of burnt metal filled the air and his throat was dry from breathing in the dust but he was determined to find his boyfriend.

The lions came quickly, landing as gently as they could so as not to disturb the wreckage, but Blue was losing it. Her paladin was hurt and she couldn't see him. Her tail flicked back and forth with anxiety as she pawed at the ground, wanting to help dig Lance out. Shiro raised a hand towards her, stretching to place a comforting hand against her.

"We'll find him Blue, maybe you could put out those fires in the meantime."

She eagerly went to work, and Shiro went back to Keith.

Hunk and Pidge finished the sensor and turned it on, faint beeps filling the still air as their holo screen glowed with dots. There were three heartbeats but no way to tell who they belonged to.

Hunk and Pidge shared a look before pointing towards the closest dot and instructing Shiro and Keith to dig.

Keith could barely breathe, he felt as if he were trapped under the rubble himself. Lance was somewhere under all the heavy stone and choking layers of dust, and he would get him out. He just couldn't help but wonder what condition he would be in when they found him. The only thing that kept him from completely losing it was the heartbeat coming from Hunks sensor.

The red paladin ignored the sting in his hands at the prick of sharp rocks and debris and focused on that heartbeat.

"I'll get you out Lance. I promise."

…..

Lance was encased in darkness. The air felt hot but he was so cold, and growing colder. He felt like his body probably hurt but his mind was separated from it, enough to know it hurt without drowning in the pain.

Sounds drifted to his ears, echoing in the dark and bouncing off every shape around him until he lost where the voices were coming from. That's what they were, voices. His mind was slow but he knew those voices. He loved them and it made him ache to hear how sad they sounded.

Once voice was more important than the others. It was someone special to him but his mind was too fuzzy to provide the name that matched it. He could picture who the voice belonged to though. Black hair and dark blue eye's that sometimes looked more like indigo at night. A soft smile that made him melt every time those lips formed his name with an 'I love you' for the chaser.

Those hands, so quick and deadly and yet strong and gentle when pressed against him. The warmth of his body against his under the sheet's, in those early mornings when he woke up next to the person that he loved more than anything.

Keith. His name was Keith.

Lance didn't want him to be sad. If only he could find him.

…

Three hours went by as the team dug. Allura and Coran joined, patting Keith's shoulder as they arrived. They all loved Lance, but it was different for Keith and their hearts broke a little each time he paused to wipe his eyes.

Keith just kept concentrating on those beeps, those heartbeats and their steady patterns, because each beat meant that Lance could be alive. It meant they could save him.

But after six hours, one of them began to slow.

….

Lance was tired. He was alone in the darkness and while he could hear Keith and the rest of his team, he couldn't find them. He was still feeling distant from his body and he couldn't make it go anywhere. He wanted to find Keith. He wanted to take him in his arms and tell him he was okay.

He could hear Keith calling for him, his voice endlessly sad as his words cracked and broke with the weight of his grief. And Lance was so tired that it was getting hard not to slip into the endless blackness that awaited him.

But he couldn't go yet, he needed to make sure his boyfriend was okay.

 _It's okay, Keith. I'll find you._

….

Hunk looked worriedly down at the monitor, watching the pulse trip and fade. Keith looked over from where he was pulling boulders away.

"What's happening?"

Hunk tapped at the monitor, panicked. The pulse beat sluggishly before stopping completely. Whoever it was had just died.

Keith's chest seized in fear and his breaths came in laboured pants. His hand came up to clutch his chest as he ran over to the holo screen, grabbing Hunk's arm to hold it still to have a look. The three dots had just become two. The heartbeat was gone.

There were only two people alive under the rubble now but they had no way to tell if Lance was one of them.

"Lance? Did he? Oh, god."

Hunk frantically tried to calm him but the whole team felt the same. Pidge started crying as he dug faster through the debris.

"We don't know if it was him! There are still two heartbeats, Keith!"

Keith was quickly slipping into a panic attack, anguished sobs tearing through his strangled breath.

 _Did I just lose Lance?_

He fell to his knees, and pressed his hands to the dirt as Shiro came over, wanting to help but not knowing how.

"Hey, just try to breathe. I know it's hard but Lance could still be alive and we need to save him. There's still two heartbeats and-"

Keith interrupted, heart beating so quickly it felt as if it would leap right from his throat.

"And we don't even know if Lance had ever been one of those heart beats. He could have died as soon as the bomb went off, or he could have just died three seconds ago. We don't know and I can't dig him out, there's too much and it hurts not knowing. It hurts so bad."

Shiro put a hand on his shoulder as his own grief choked him. Keith was dragging air in, much too fast and labored as tears left tracks in the dirt on his face. Hunk's face was much the same as he knelt beside his team mate and took one of his hands from the dust.

"Keith, we all love Lance, he's my best friend. And I know he's more to you, but I feel the pain too. It's like my whole chest is caved in and I can't dig my heart out till I find Lance. And I know that… I know we might not find him alive-" His voice broke and Keith looked up at him.

"-But we still have to find him. Keith, a little after we first left earth, after Lance almost died in that explosion, protecting Coran, he told me something. He said that if something ever happened to him, that the healing pods couldn't fix, he wanted us to send his body back to Cuba, to his family. I know he probably told you the same thing. So, whatever happens we need to get him out."

Keith's shoulders shook. Lance had told him that, and Keith had hated it at the time but he understood and he'd promised. Hunk lent down to catch his eyes as he continued.

"But I really don't think that Lance is gone. There are still two heartbeats registering and if Lance was gone Blue would feel it. She's still waiting for him to come back so we have to keep digging okay? Take a deep breath."

Keith looked over to where Blue was pacing beside the rubble. Hunk was right. Keith sniffed his tears away and wiped his face.

"Okay. Thank you, Hunk."

The yellow paladin nodded and they both returned to work.

Hunk had been right about something else too. Keith felt as if he was crumbling just as the tunnel had and he knew that the only thing that could save him was if they saved Lance. He also knew that he could not live without Lance. It was agony not knowing whether he was alive or not, and even the thought of him being dead threatened to paralyze Keith completely. They would not stop until they found Lance.

In the end, it took two days to dig him out. They finally uncovered him, buried under pieces of the tunnel wall and Keith yelled out for help when he spotted him under the wreckage.

"I found him! Help me lift this off him." The team came over to shift the stone as Keith called out to his boyfriend, tears coming afresh at the glint of dirty, white and blue armor under the grey rubble.

"We're coming babe, we got you. Just hang in there. Lance?"

The blue paladin didn't seem to be conscious and as the stone was removed it became evident why. Blood smeared across the visor of his helmet and his skin was pale beneath the red. Most alarming however was the slab of rock that was crushing his lower half.

Keith rushed to his side once the debris was moved, and although he had been waiting to hold him for two days, he didn't know where to touch. His hands fluttered around his body, chest heaving as he saw how badly Lance was hurt.

"Lance, baby, I'm right here. We got you out, everything's okay now, I won't leave you."

Shiro came over and quickly assessed the damage, knowing Keith wouldn't be able to concentrate right now.

"He's got a head wound but it seems to have stopped bleeding, his pulse is weak and his breathing is shallow and…oh god. Coran, I need your help."

The altean came over while Keith found one of Lance's hands in the dust and held it between both of his gloved hands. Coran came over to inspect the damage. He took one look at the rock on Lance's legs and started barking out orders.

"I need bandages and a saw, and something to clean this out with. Hunk, we're gonna need a stretcher. Allura prepare the med bay for surgery, I'm going to have to take this out myself."

Keith looked up, mind racing at the somber tone in Coran's voice.

"A saw? Why do you need that?"

The man didn't look up as he was passed bandages, pressing them under the stone.

"There's a piece of metal pipe pinning Lance to the ground, it's gone straight through his leg. Not only that but this rock is pressing down on his spine, compressing the nerves. If we don't get him out soon he may lose this leg and that's if we don't lose him first."

Everything went quiet after that. Everyone was still rushing around, getting what Coran needed, but Keith could only look down at Lance's pale face and hope he would be okay.

….

Lance didn't know how long he was in the dark for but when the voices finally came closer he was glad not to be alone anymore. He could hear Keith talking to him and he did his best to concentrate on the words being said. All that really mattered was that he had found Keith. Or maybe Keith had found him?

His body came back to him very quickly when Keith took his hand, as if a circuit had been completed and he was a live wire once again. Keith's hand was warm and those strong fingers wrapped around his palm. Lance couldn't squeeze back but he wanted to tell Keith something.

 _I missed you. Thanks for finding me._

Other voices came closer and Lance quickly realized that as much as he loved holding Keith's hand, he did not like being in his body because that meant feeling pain. And there was a lot of it.

….

Coran had studied human medicine extensively since meeting the paladins and was doing everything he could to save the young pilot but the odds weren't looking good.

Lance's legs were soaked with blood under the rock, the pipe acting as a plug for most of the blood so that Lance wouldn't bleed out immediately, but that meant they couldn't take it out without risking hemorrhaging. But Lance was already fading and they needed to move him. Which meant cutting the pipe and taking it with them.

Coran wrapped bandages around the pipe and Lance's thigh, pressing on the wound to try and stop the bleeding, while Hunk and Pidge cut the pipe as carefully as they could. The metal rod was attached the rock and once separated they could lift it. But Coran was also worried about lifting the rock too fast.

There was just so much that could go wrong and Lance was already so weak. Keith had to step back when they began lifting the rock and he knelt as close as he could when it was done. Coran needed room and Keith couldn't help while so upset. His hands pressed into the ground as he focused on the quick, shallow pants, making Lance's chest rise and fall. He did his best to ignore the blood soaking every surface around the blue paladin, and just prayed that Lance wouldn't die.

Coran was yelling things at the other paladins, asking for oxygen and more bandages. It was all a blur to Keith until they finally got Lance on a stretcher to bring him to the castle ship. He followed close behind but was told he couldn't follow into the infirmary as Coran and the others worked. He lent down as they ran Lance inside, pressing a quick kiss to his pale forehead before releasing his tear soaked words, pressing Lance's knuckles to his mouth in a desperate kiss.

"Come back to me, okay? You don't get to quit now. We have a universe to save. I love you so much Lance."

They took Lance away and it took all of Keith's strength not to fall to the ground.

….

Lance could feel Keith by his side, that warm flame always. He was still in the dark but it wasn't the same darkness as before. He was in a lot of pain now and he wanted it to stop. He wanted to leave.

But Keith's voice came close to him, pressing against him in the cold, and he couldn't leave.

He felt warm lips on his skin, blooming flowers of light where Keith's lips touched him. Lance loved his sun, so he promised to stay.

 _I love you too, Keith. I'll come back, just wait for me._

…

Pidge was the only other who stayed with Keith, unable to watch them operate on someone who was so much like an older brother to her.

She took his hand as he sat outside in the hall.

"They're going to fix him. It'll be okay."

Keith nodded and dragged his other hand through his hair in anxiety. He shuddered when he saw the blood stains smeared on his armor.

"Why can't they just put him in the healing pod?"

Pidge looked at the floor, seeming as young as when Keith first met her more than five years ago.

"Coran said his vitals were too weak and they had to get the pipe out first. After that… he said we'd have a choice to make. But he's going to do everything he can to save Lance, we all will. I promise."

Keith nodded and squeezed her hand, grateful. But after two hours of surgery Coran came out looking grim.

"Keith, we got the pipe out but he's barely breathing on his own and I need to ask you… I know this is a lot but we need you to make the choice, you're who he loves most and he'd want you to decide."

Keith felt sick. He didn't like where this was going at all. "Decide what?"

"The pipe left a lot of damage to Lance's leg muscles and tendons, I almost wasn't sure he'd be able to keep it, and the rock was pressing down on his nerves and it caused a lot of internal bleeding."

Keith shook his head slightly, wishing he would just get to the point. "What are you saying?"

Coran sat beside the paladin, eyebrows creased in apology. "I can put him in the healing pod and it will save his leg but his vitals are so weak I'm not sure if his heart could take the cryogenic process. He could die."

Keith felt as if all the air had been sucked from the room, he tried to breathe as Coran continued.

"Or I could put him on life support along with a ray-like version of the healing pods. They'll heal him but it will be slower and it wouldn't heal his leg completely. He may still lose it and even if he does keep it, it will never be the same as before. But he'll live."

Keith swallowed his nausea. He was being given the choice to either save his boyfriends life and leave him with irreparable damage to his leg, or risk his life but save his leg. Lance was already insecure about his abilities on the team, he never thought he was good enough and losing his leg would not make this better.

But on the other hand, Keith could not live without Lance. And they needed him to form Voltron to defeat Zarkon. They all loved Lance and they would love him no matter what condition he was in, as long as he was alive he was perfect. But Lance might not think so. If Lance couldn't walk he couldn't fight and that would be on Keith. Lance could leave Voltron. He could blame Keith for the choice he made and hate him forever. He might lose Lance anyway.

He was nauseous again as his mind raced with questions and possibilities. Coran's voice cut through the noise of his thoughts like a hot knife through butter.

"I'm sorry you have to be the one to decide, Keith. But it's what Lance would want."

Keith hated how much that sounded like Lance was already dead. And he immediately made up his mind. He put his head in his hands as he forced out the words from his already worn out throat.

"Save him."


	3. Chapter 3

"Keith? Do you want to see him?" Shiros voice was quiet, breaking Keith's train of thought. He had been trying to word his apology to Lance, his explanation as to why he chose to leave him broken, but the words were lost to him now.

He nodded and stood from his seat as Shiro took his arm with a comforting hand.

Keith wanted to hold lance again, to see that he was alive, but he also wasn't sure he could see him laying all still and cold, like a corpse dug from a grave.

Shiro paused outside the infirmary door. He wore the same expression he had on when he'd told Keith he was leaving for Kerberos. Endless apology.

"You might want to prepare yourself for what you see in there. Hunks been cleaning him up but he still looks pretty rough and all the machines may be disconcerting."

Keith's voice was rough from crying.

"I want to see him Shiro."

The man nodded but took Keith's shoulders in his grip.

"Just remember that he's alive and we're taking care of him. Everything else will take time, but he's alive."

Keith nodded and Shiro opened the door.

The first thing he saw was hunk. Leaning over the bed and running a cloth down the length of Lances arm to get rid of the blood and dirt previously plastered to his skin.

Hunk turned and gave Keith an apologetic nod, stepping away from the bed. And there was Lance.

Keith couldn't breathe. He was so pale and still, his constantly twitching fingers still and white on the sheets. His bad leg was covered in bandages and splints, red already staining beneath the dressings.

Coran came to Keith's side, quietly telling him how the surgery went.

"He won't lose his leg but like it said, it won't be the same as before. The damage was permanent. His... heart stopped a couple of times."

Keith couldn't make his feet move any closer, he was stuck in the doorway and felt sick. Lance had died. And he hasn't felt it, he hadn't known. Lance was everything to him and it was awful to think that his whole world had died without him noticing.

Keith could barely stomach the sight of lance in that bed. He didn't look like himself at all. Coran was pointing out the different machines and what they were for, but Keith couldn't tear his eyes away from the tube snaking from Lances mouth.

Coran noticed and pointed to it sadly. "He isn't breathing on his own so we have him intubated but as soon as he's strong enough we'll take him off it and he'll go into healing pod."

Keith could hardly focus on what he was saying. It was all too much. Lance had died. Now he's alive but not breathing. And that tube, shoved down into his throat, choking, suffocating, strangling- Keith bent over and retched.

Shiro threw a trash can under his mouth before anything could hit the floor and he fell to his knees a gripping the bin.

Hunk came over, worried, and placed a hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles into his tense muscles until the vomiting stopped and he could breathe again.

"I'm sorry, it's just- "

Hunk interrupted, nodding.

"It's a lot to take in, it's okay. You should rest anyway, you haven't slept in a few days."

Keith lifted his head, lips already moving to tell him he wouldn't be leaving, but Hunk already knew that.

"Don't worry, no one's going to make you leave. I'll set up a bed beside Lance's, just promise me you'll sleep."

Keith nodded and took his offered hand. He got to his feet, chest aching as he looked at Lance. But Hunk led him over to the bed and sat him down in a chair. Keith's hands shook but he picked up Lance's cold fingers and held them in his warm ones.

Those blue eyes that Keith loved so much were closed and Lance's hair was falling over his forehead, and Keith reached a hand up to brush it back as his voice wobbled.

"Hey, baby, I'm here. I'm right here, everything's okay now." He closed his eyes, utterly exhausted from the past few days of worrying and waiting. He pressed Lance's fingers to his mouth, kissing the pale skin.

"I was so worried, but you're going to be okay. I won't leave you I promise. I love you so much, Lance."

The constant anxiety over Lance had been keeping him up for days and now that he could be with him again, the exhaustion took over and he didn't even notice when Shiro and Hunk pulled him over to the bed beside Lance's. He wouldn't let go of his hand so they simply pulled the beds together and tucked him in as he fell asleep.

He didn't even wake up when, a little later, Pidge came in and cried, falling asleep holding her surrogate big brothers hand.

They all loved Lance so much and almost losing him had taken a lot out of the team. They all wanted to stay close together. Shiro wanted to watch over his team but fell asleep at the foot of the blue paladin's bed, while Hunk snored against Lance's good leg. Pidge had one of his hands while Keith had the other and even in his dreams, he would not let go.

…..

Hunk made food for everyone, a nice reprieve from the surgery he'd helped with, and forced Keith to eat. Everyone offered their words of comfort but the only voice he really wanted to hear was Lance's.

Sitting there, watching his chest rise and fall with the help of machines, and looking at the bruises and scrapes, sent Keith looking for any distraction from the sight in front of him. He'd worried enough over Lance's injuries, heard them explained over and over, and new he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, so instead he talked to Lance.

"I never understood why you liked the rain so much. I lived in the desert so I appreciated it but the way you always got so excited when we found anything that resembled earth's storms, it was just so cute. It always made you a little sad too but you'd drag Hunk out to jump in puddles with you, even if they tried to solidify as soon as they touched the ground. I thought it was childish. But then, there was that planet we visited for your birthday, you'd been getting homesick so Coran found one with rain, actual rain that wasn't hot or a weird colour and made decent puddles. And your face lit up and you ran right out into the downpour, laughing. You cried a little too and we knew you missed your family, but then you grabbed my hand and pulled me into the rain too.

You smiled and your hair was falling into your eyes, and your hand was so warm in mine."

Keith was playing with Lance's fingers as his throat grew thick with emotion.

"And you didn't let go. Everyone came out to play in the rain and we got you those ridiculous frog gumboots but you loved them. And you said that it was the best family space vacation we'd ever had. I'd never had a proper family, and there you were, giving me one. I think that was the day I realized I loved you. And I've never stopped loving you since."

He wiped his tears and rubbed Lance's hand. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Shiro with a soft smile.

"That was a good day. You two looked so happy."

Keith nodded as Shiro sat down.

"It's going to take a while for his leg to heal and the weapon for Zarkon is under construction, so till then we can find somewhere to lay low and recover. Maybe we could find somewhere with rain."

Keith looked down at the splints and bandages encasing Lance's leg, wincing at the metal rods holding him together. Shiro noticed and sighed.

"You know you did the right thing. Hunk, Allura and I were all in there when Coran told us what the options were and we all agreed on the same one. Ultimately it was your decision but everyone agreed with you. Once he wakes up, we can explain it to him, and we'll all be on your side."

Keith hated to think about what Lance would do when he found out.

"What if I made the wrong choice? Coran said the healing pods would heal him completely-"

Shiro interrupted as Keith grew panicked. "That was if Lance's heart could take it, which was very unlikely."

"But he could have. He could have been healed and I wouldn't have to explain to him why he won't ever walk properly again."

Shiro was insistent, hating to see Keith so guilty over something that wasn't his fault.

"And what if he had died? He wouldn't have survived the pods, Keith. But now he's here, safe, and no matter what happens we'll always love him. He loves you and he knew what the chances were when he blew that tunnel. He's not going to be mad."

Keith kept his head hung low and Shiro continued, trying to coax his thoughts into a more positive direction.

"Pidge and Hunk are already working on making prosthetics and braces for him to help with the healing process or to replace the leg if necessary. You know Lance loves my arm now he can have one of his own. Hunk even wanted to put in a rifle so that Lance could detach his leg and use it to shoot people. I vetoed that idea."

Keith laughed a little at the thought of his boyfriend hopping around firing at galra with his own leg. Lance would love that.

"Thanks, Shiro."

"No problem, you know we're all here for you."

Shiro had always given Keith good advice, and his calm voice never failed to make him feel better.

Keith's mood was lifted a little and he took a breath to refocus. He just had to be patient and wait for Lance to heal. And he would.

…..

Lance was in a deep sleep, his brain not even aware that he was. He wasn't aware enough to form thoughts but he felt things. Slow hands massaging his fingers, thumbs rubbing over his palm. The fresh, flowery scent of his favourite moisturizer that was being smoothed into his skin.

There was the closeness of someone sitting next to him, occasional fingers brushing his hair back or running over his cheek. He loved that touch, new it as surely as he knew himself. And there was a voice, his favourite, singing softly to him.

The tune was familiar, often sung to him in the mornings while kisses were pressed to necks and shoulders. In his most beloved memories of Keith, this song was whispered to his skin as they lay in each other's arms, just holding the one they loved the most in all the galaxy.

Lance's body may have been broken but his mind was safe and full of Keith.

"Listen when  
All of this around us'll fall over  
I tell you what we're gonna do  
Hey you will shelter me my love  
I will shelter you  
If you shelter me too  
I will shelter you"

(AN: The song that Keith sang is called Shelter by Ray Lamontagne and Steven Yeun, the voice actor for Keith, sings it! watch?v=k6wDOi2HrsI so that right there is a video of keith singing to lance. It's not the most romantic song but its the best one that steven sings and it literally took me all day to decide on a song but whatever lol please tell me what you think of this chapter! Btw I'll be writing the fic for the story keith was telling about lances birthday ha i have so much writing to do btw idk why this part is so big sorry i cant make it smaller)


	4. Chapter 4

Keith had sat beside Lance's bed for three days until Coran decided his vitals were strong enough to put him in a healing pod. The breathing tube was removed, and the pins and braces holding Lance's leg were taken out, and he was placed in that cold tomb to heal.

Keith hated it, it felt like goodbye all over again. He didn't want to let go of his hand, his fingers shaking in Lance's palm, until Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him away. Coran closed the pod and Lance was sealed inside.

He was in there for two days, and while Keith wanted to stay the whole time, the others kept him out.

"You have to take care of yourself too, otherwise you won't be strong enough to help Lance when he really needs you."

Keith glared at Shiro, hands clenching and unclenching restlessly.

"He needs me now."

"He's asleep. We let you stay with him before because we weren't sure if he would make it but he's healing now and there's nothing you can do for him until he's out. He's okay, Keith. Go get some rest, or eat something or go train. You haven't moved from his side in a week, you could use some time for yourself."

Keith was about to argue again but Hunk just swept him up in a bear hug, lifting his feet off the ground as the big guy waddled across the room with him.

"Come on, Keith. I'll make you some food or, I don't know, we can punch robots together if you want. But you need a break."

Keith struggled a little in Hunks arms, but gave up after a moment. He could do with a break, he'd been so stressed out and frustrated with everything and his muscles craved a challenge. Hunk continued carrying his team mate away from the med bay, smiling as he hugged Keith to him.

"Where am I taking you, buddy?"

Keith relaxed in the yellow paladins hold and resigned himself to the hug, mumbling against his shirt.

"Training deck."

Moving again felt so good. Keith focused all his frustration and his pent-up feelings into taking down the training drones. Slicing and punching his way through level after level, and his mind was finally quiet. Everything would be fine. Lance was alive, and that's all he needed.

Another drone crashed the floor and Keith panted as he shut down the program. Hunk was waiting with water and one of his universe famous sandwiches that somehow tasted ice cold and spicy at the same time. Keith took the offered gifts gratefully as he sat, Hunk taking a seat beside him.

"You know he's going to be okay, right?"

Keith chewed his sandwich and shrugged. He knew Lance would heal but he'd never be the same.

Hunk wrapped an arm around his friend and pulled him close.

"He will be. I've known Lance a long time, and he's stronger than he knows. He wrote a letter to his family a little after we first left earth. After he almost died saving Coran, he came to my room and gave it me. He wanted me to give it to his mom if anything happened to him. And I won't have to give it to her, we won't have to send his body home because we saved him, because you made the right choice. And I'll tell him that."

Keith leant his head against Hunk's shoulder. He was right, and Keith felt like maybe Lance would understand that too. They just had to wait for him to wake up.

Hunk looked down at the red paladin, voice careful.

"Do you want us to be there with you when he comes out of the pod?"

Keith knew that the whole team loved Lance but he didn't want to overwhelm him after everything that happened.

"Maybe it would be best if it was just me, just for the first little bit. I don't want him to freak out and… Once I explain what happened, he'll need space to process it."

Hunk patted his shoulder, understanding.

"Okay, no problem. Just let me know if I can do anything to help you and your boyfriend."

Keith frowned, thinking. "Actually, there is. Could you make me something?"

….

Hunk was scribbling Keith's request on a piece of scrap paper, all his ideas spilling out at once as Keith described what he wanted. They were both so excited, but their conversation was cut short as Pidge came tearing into the room, feet sliding on the floor as she skidded to a halt in front of them. Her eyes were wide and she was breathless as she smiled.

"Lance's pod is opening!"

Keith froze for a split second before he scrambled to his feet, sprinting out and down the halls to the med bay. His mind was screaming at him, worrying, and stumbling over his practiced apologies, but once he got to the infirmary and saw Lance in the pod, all he could think was "I need to hold him."

Coran tapped a few things on some screens before taking his leave, Allura handing Keith a blanket for Lance before she left as well, the room emptying and leaving him alone with his panting breaths.

The pod hissed, the glass sliding open, and there he was. He was still pale but it was more of a cold chill than the grey, sickly pallor he'd been before. Keith could barely breathe as Lance let out a soft gasp and fell from the pod, right into Keith's waiting arms.

….

Lance's world was white and numb before he was birthed into an ocean of light. Sounds came, muddy, to his ears as he felt himself falling. But as he was swathed in warmth, cradled in loving arms against a heaving chest, he heard him, that same person that he'd been dreaming about since he left the darkness.

"Lance?"

…..

Keith caught Lance as he fell, wrapping the blanket hastily around his thin shoulders and holding him to his chest as he lowered them to the floor to cradle him in his lap. He held Lance, looking down at those slow blinking eyes and pale lips.

"Lance? Baby, say something."

Lance blinked, blurry vision clearing to see Keith looking down at him. He looked so worried, eyes filling with tears as he panted.

He reached up a hand to Keith's cheek, thumb sweeping over his warm skin to catch a tear that'd escaped.

"Keith." His voice was raspy and weak but it was the most beautiful thing Keith had ever heard and he broke into sob as he pulled Lance to his chest.

"You're okay, you're safe, you're here." Keith pressed his face to Lance's neck as the blue paladin pulled his arms up to hug him back.

"What happened?"

Keith didn't want to tell him. God, he just wanted to hold on and never let go. He had missed Lance so much and now he could lose him all over again. He pulled back a little, holding Lance against his chest, as they sat on the floor.

"Do you remember the mission?"

Lance's eyebrows furrowed, thinking.

"I think so? There was a tunnel and you were mad at me."

Keith brushed Lance's hair back, soaking in every touch as if it were the last time he would be allowed to hold him like this.

"I was worried about you, there's a difference, but yes."

Lance continued, the memories muddy and faded. He remembered the way that Keith had kissed him, how heavy it had been, and how he had heard Keith screaming when he…

"I blew it up?"

Keith nodded as he shuddered, choking on a sob. His voice cracked and shook but he needed Lance to understand.

"You were buried under the rubble and we got you out as soon as we could but it took so long and the damage was so bad. We thought you weren't going to make it, I thought you would die."

Lance looked confused as Keith placed a hand on his cheek, begging through his tears.

"You have to know that I love you more than anything and I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. I stayed by your side the entire time and I would have done anything to make it all better. Coran tried everything but…we couldn't fix it."

Lance tried to sit up, Keith was so desperate and upset, it was scaring him.

"Keith, what are you talking about?"

"Please don't hate me, you know how much I love you. I just couldn't risk losing you again and I know that's selfish but I can't live without you. Lance. You have to believe me."

Lance tried to adjust his legs into a more comfortable position as he sat, his right leg was aching badly but as he tried to move them he realized …. He couldn't. His left leg curled as it should but his other leg lay heavy on the floor, foot twitching when he tried to pull it closer. He couldn't move it.

His breaths came faster as Keith tried to explain. Lance couldn't look away from his leg.

"Lance, I'm so sorry. We tried everything we could but the damage was too severe and-"

The blue paladin shook his head, pulling away from Keith and god, how that hurt. Keith could feel the space between them growing cold and reached for him again as Lance tried to reach for the healing pods.

"I have to go back in, I came out too soon. I have to go back in the pods heal everything!" He was frantic. This couldn't be happening.

"Lance, it can't heal this."

"They heal everything!"

Lance finally looked at him and the look of terror in his eyes made Keith feel so much worse. But this couldn't be real. He couldn't move his leg, could barely feel it. Keith sucked in a breath as fresh tears wet his cheeks, Lance's own face the same.

"I'm so sorry. We couldn't put you in right away and some of the nerves died…but I couldn't lose you I couldn't risk putting you in."

Lance blinked, mouth falling open a little. "You…"

Keith watched that look of horror fall over his face and he didn't know what to do. Lance would hate him but he couldn't lie. His heart ached and he felt as if he were drowning. Oh, god, he couldn't survive if Lance hated him.

"I had a choice. Risk your life or risk your leg. And… I needed you to live."

Lance's mind was a howling beast, screaming at him as the reality set in. He was damaged, irreparably. It couldn't be fixed, he was broken forever.

But he could have died.

Keith watched his face carefully as he waited for a hit, for Lance to tell him he hated him, for something. But Lance just blinked, tears rolling down his cheeks to fall from his chin, before reaching out his shaking hands and pulling Keith into his arms.

Keith sobbed as Lance held him, hugging tightly enough to feel the squeeze of his ribs as they both shook against each other.

Keith let out a constant stream of apologies but Lance only held him close and kissed his cheek.

"I forgive you, it's okay. I'm here, I'm safe."

"I'm so sorry, Lance."

Lance shook his head. "You saved me. There's nothing to be sorry for."

Keith pulled back enough to look into Lance's eyes, to see that they were sincere, but kept his hands gripped on Lance's arms.

"You don't hate me?" Lance shook his head but he still looked so sad. Keith needed to make sure he understood, that Lance hadn't just misheard him.

"But it was my fault. I chose this, I did this to you and-"

Lance took Keith's face in his hands as the red paladin forced himself to breathe. He looked into his eyes, vision blurry from tears, and spoke with all the surety he had. He needed Keith to understand.

"I thought I was going to die when I blew up that tunnel and I thought I'd never see you again. But you're here, and I'm here and I love you so much. I will never leave you again and I will never stop loving you."

His voice shook with emotion, but his hands were now steady as he pulled Keith closer and pressed his lips to his. Their kiss was deep and tasted of grief but Lance's hands were gentle as he buried his fingers in Keith's long hair, and Keith's hands found Lance's waist.

They had lost each other so many times in the past week alone and now they were together and safe and no matter what, they would never let go again.

They held each other as close as they could, burning and grieving, like a dying star being born something new. They had never loved each other more and their skin burned at the others touch.

Lance had believed he was going to die, but he was back, safe, in his loves arms, exactly where he wanted to be.


	5. Chapter 5

After their long, tearful reunion, Lance was carried to a bed and checked over by Coran. Keith sat beside him and held his hand as the altean explained the damage in greater detail, and while everyone was still eager to see their friend, Lance requested some time alone.

Coran left and Keith kissed Lance's forehead before leaving as well. Once Lance was alone in the infirmary, he gripped his sheets and cried.

Coran had said they could do some rehabilitation, and treatment, to strengthen his bed leg, but that it would never be the same and he would never be able to walk without help.

Lance knew that this meant he couldn't be a paladin anymore. Not a proper one anyway. So, he lay in bed and he howled, through the pain of his injury and the loss that he'd suffered. And he didn't hate Keith, he could never hate him, but he was just a boy from Cuba, and now he was a soldier, broken from battle.

It was all too much, and it came crashing down on him at once. He didn't even recognise himself in a mirror anymore. He was no longer the scrawny kid with the idiot grin, he was lean but built with muscle, scars littering his skin and peeking from beneath the stubble on his jaw. His face held lines of worry and fear that he'd never had when they first left earth. And now his leg was irreparable and he couldn't even remember what it was like to be that laughing kid, flying the blue lion for the first time.

All that anger, the lost hope and the grief, all came at once and he couldn't hold it in. It was ripped from his throat as he screamed, gripping the sheets so hard his knuckled turned white, and the searing pain in his leg turned his morning into agony.

Keith could hear him, through the infirmary doors and sat with his head in his hands, knees curled to his chest. He wanted to help, but Lance needed to time to grieve, alone.

The rest of the team sat in the hall with him, all with matching looks of misery on their faces. It wasn't until Lance started throwing things that they intervened.

Hunk slapped a hand on Keith's arm as he raced past, letting Keith know he could handle this one. The yellow paladin sprinted into the infirmary, dodging the spray of glass from a broken cup as Lance threw whatever he could reach.

Keith slumped to the floor as he watched the scene play out, Shiro's hand on his shoulder. Hunk gathered Lance into his arms as he screamed, trying to calm his best friend as he was pummelled with clumsy fists. Lance fought in his hold, but relaxed minutely as Hunk whispered to him, reassurances and promises that he would get better, that he wasn't alone. Lance's hands clenched into fists in the material of Hunks shirt, gripping onto him for dear life as he begged him to make the pain stop.

"Please, Hunk, I can't do this. I'm not strong enough, it hurts so much, please. You have to fix me, I can't be like this."

Hunk held him still as Coran came with a sedative.

"Shh, it's okay, Lance. I got you. We're all here. Everything's okay, just relax."

Lance sobbed into his best friend's neck as the sedative took hold, turning his mind into a fog and making his desperate grip on Hunk loosen. The yellow paladin lay Lance gently back in bed as he wiped his own eyes, tucking him in as the last of Lance's sobs calmed. He watched his best friend's eyes glaze over, blinking heavily before finally falling shut. He was out, and Hunk cried.

Keith watched the team surround Lance, taking in the damage, and fully soaking in the gravity of the situation. It would be a long road of recovery ahead and there wasn't any way to mentally prepare for something like that.

Keith couldn't help but blame himself.

But of course, it wasn't his fault. Shiro patted his back, reminding him of the fact, as they waited for Lance to wake up again.

"It's going to be hard, but Lance doesn't blame you. He just needed to get his feelings out, it's a lot to process Keith. Now that Coran's giving him a steady dose of painkillers he should be calmer."

Lance would always be in pain from his injury; chronic pain, Coran called it. And with the injury so fresh, it would be intense, and so the blue paladin was given a heavy dose of pain killers, to keep him calm and comfortable.

Keith had been worried to see him awake again but Lance was quiet and took his boyfriends hand.

"I'm sorry for my tantrum. It's just a lot to take in all at once. I don't want to let the team down and- "

Shiro put a careful hand on the young boy's shoulder, looking down at him with that sincere, space dad look, that none of the other paladins could ever argue against.

"Hey, you could never let us down. You did something brave and saved everyone and now you need time to recover. That's okay, Lance. And we're all here for you. It's going to take time and patience and I know how hard it is to receive news like this."

Shiro glance down at his galra arm, remembering the way he'd reacted the first time he'd seen it. Lance looked up at their leader with huge eyes, and Shiro was glad he could be trusted to understand what Lance was going through.

"It's a mental thing as much as physical so it's okay to have a meltdown or two. Just let us help, that's all we want."

Lance nodded and Keith kissed his forehead, making Pidge smile from where she sat at the end of their bed.

"Yeah, you two have been complaining that you don't get to go on any proper dates and now that we have time, you can. We could go check out that planet we passed before the last mission, the one that Allura said was covered in flowers."

Lance gave a little laugh, slow blinking eyes shining through his fog of drugs.

"Pidge, you hate nature."

The little tech genius rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but you love flowers. And Hunk wanted to teach Allura to make daisy chains."

Lance hummed, agreeing and Keith brushed his hair from his eyes.

"That's a good idea, we could have a picnic huh babe?"

Lance blinked up at his boyfriend with a slow smile, his eyes full of a dopey kind of love.

"That sounds like a good idea. A proper date would be nice."

Keith smiled and leant closer to the blue paladin, rubbing their noses together as Lance let out a drunken giggle.

"Hmm, a date with my handsome boyfriend huh?"

Lance blushed and rubbed his nose back, while Shiro rolled his eyes at the two and Pidge made gagging noises.

"You think I'm handsome?"

"Always."

Once Coran had cleared the idea, they set off for the planet, taking the longer road to their destination, as Coran reminded them that Lance should not be moved around too much just yet. He was still weak and in a lot of pain, and they couldn't start physical therapy for a few days.

Once they did reach the planet, the team pulled Lance out on a hovering bed, so that he wouldn't have to move to see the beautiful planet, which was an endless stretch of fields and flowers, split only by rivers of gold water, and lush white tree's. It was beautiful and the air was sweet as honey.

Keith held Lance's hand as they relished in the warmth the three suns provided, happy that the suns were far away enough from the planet that the warmth was pleasant rather than over bearing.

Hunk and Allura were squealing in delight at the beautiful foliage around them, as Shiro wandered through the grass with Pidge on his shoulders so that she wouldn't have to touch any of the plants. Coran kept watch over his team mates and occasionally glanced down at the computer screen that tracked all of Lance's vitals, but everyone was happy.

Keith knew that this planet was beautiful, but what made his chest warm with happiness was the look on his boyfriend's face. Lance was bathed in light, his dazed eyes flitting over everything he could see, and he looked happier than he had in days.

"Do you like it?"

Lance sighed, content, as he brought Keith's hand to his mouth to kiss his knuckles.

"I love it."

Keith could keep watching Lance's face forever, those beautiful bright eyes full of wonder, and that small lazy smile as he watched his team mates roam through the endless field of flowers.

Coran came to stand beside the two as he plucked a flower from the ground and spun it between his fingers.

"You know, there are several planets like this one, and multiple races come here for their tethering ceremonies."

Keith watched the red petals spin. "Tethering ceremonies?"

"Like the weddings you have on earth, tethering ceremonies bind people together but this planet contains magic that bond the two with an almost physical tether. It's a beautiful ritual, I've been lucky enough to attend one or two."

Coran looked down at the picked flower in his hand and offered it to Lance, before smiling at them and going to join the others. Lance sniffed the flower and smiled at the way it smelled.

Keith's mind filled with plans and idea's and he wanted so badly to share them with the man that he loved most in the universe but he knew he had to wait. So instead he touched a panel on Lance's bed and lowered it to the ground so that Lance could run his fingers over the flowers, and Keith could sit beside him.

Lance let out a soft laugh as he watched Hunk place a flower crown on Shiro's proud head, while Pidge attempted to splash Allura in the golden river. Keith watched him closely, eyeing those soft hands as they ran absentmindedly over his left thigh. Lance had told him he couldn't feel anything properly throughout the whole limb, as if touch was just a thought and not something he could feel there, though the pain never eased.

"What are you thinking about?"

The blue paladin blinked his slow eyes and seemed happy, though his expression was giving away the sadness that lay underneath.

"Just that it was worth it. If I hadn't blown up that tunnel, none of us would be here, and if you hadn't made the choice you did, I wouldn't be here. Leaving earth, missing my family… it's been hard and healing after that tunnel collapse will be harder. But I love this weird space family we have, with our alien mom, Allura, and Shiro as our space dad."

Keith laughed quietly and leant over, resting his head on Lance's shoulder. "Coran our alien uncle."

Lance nodded. "Yeah and Hunk and Pidge as our siblings. I can't wait to go home, but I wouldn't change a thing. What we're doing is important, I know that, and for some reason we were chosen to defend the universe. I'm just really glad it's with these guys."

"Me too."


	6. Chapter 6

Lance had been on bedrest for a few days and finally deemed strong enough to start physio therapy. He was still on some pretty heavy pain meds, and he had no feeling in his bad leg, so physio was only having someone else stretch his leg out for him.

Keith, being the overprotective and jealous boyfriend he was, insisted that no one would be touching his man but him. Lance laughed as he lay in his floating bed; which had been moved to his and Keith's bedroom now that he was in recovery.

"Your man, huh? I think I like it when you get jealous."

Keith smiled and climbed on top pf the bed. "Yeah? I think you'll like the physio a whole lot more."

They had been supposed to gently stretch Lance's bad leg out, making sure the muscles were used so they wouldn't atrophy. But Lance couldn't have his boyfriend gripping his thigh's without making some sort of comment, and they didn't stay on task for long.

After just fifteen dobashe's, they'd forgone the task completely, with Keith laying on top of Lance, and the blue paladins good leg hooked around Keith's back. Keith ran his hand up his boyfriend's thigh, and up across his chest, pulling his shirt up to run his fingers over his skin. Lance moaned into Keith's mouth just as Hunk walked in.

"Oh! Sorry, I honestly thought you two were doing physio. I wouldn't have interrupted if I knew you were having….fun times."

Keith blushed furiously and sat back on the bed, as Lance laughed and tugged his shirt back down.

"No problem, big guy. We may have gotten a little distracted."

Hunk laughed and entered the room, offering the space equivalent of juice boxes to the two still in the bed.

"Coran won't be happy if you don't do the stretches like he asked, although personally, I think it's nice to see you two romancing it up again. I've kind of missed you're over the top PDA."

Lance smiled as Keith snuggled up beside the injured paladin, half laying on his chest. Lance watched his friend for any hint of green.

"You sure our gross amount of love isn't going to make you sick?"

Hunk shrugged and watched his friend with eyes that held too much emotion for such a conversation.

"I'm just glad to see you happy, man."

Lance nodded, knowing he'd worried everyone with both his tunnel blowing stunt, and his tantrum the other day. He would admit he'd been having a hard time with it all. Not only with handling the pain but also the emotional toll it took, as Shiro said it would. He was permanently damaged, and he knew it, and the nightmares wouldn't let him forget. It would just take time.

He smiled at his friend and offered his hand in a fist bump. "I'm good, really."

Hunk looked a bit teary eyed, as he touched his knuckles to Lance's, and the blue paladin couldn't help but smile. His best friend was such a softie.

Hunk sniffed and tried to look stern. "Get back to work you two, and I don't mean making out. We need our boy fight ready."

Keith gave a salute and raised his juice box as the other boy left. "Thanks Hunk."

Lance tried to repress a sigh as he stared up at the ceiling, while Keith set their drinks down and knelt near the end of the bed. He took Lance's bad leg as gently as he could and slowly stretched out the limb, before easing the limb towards Lance's chest. He watched as Lance winced at the movement and apologized softly.

"Sorry, I know it must still hurt. Coran said it won't always be this bad though, we just have to try and strengthen the muscles so they hold themselves together properly again. Then you can start trying to walk and we'll get you a cane or something."

Lance nodded but he didn't seem to be listening. He was chewing his lip like he did when there was something he really didn't want to say but had to. Keith paused his movements, concerned.

"Babe? What's wrong?"

Lance had lost all the joy he'd held just moments before, and as his eyes met Keith's, the red paladin's shoulders sagged.

"You don't have to wait for me to get better, you should just find someone new and go."

Keith frowned in confusion, his dark eyebrows crowding over his eyes, as he his hands slowly resumed their task with Lance's leg.

"What are you talking about?"

Lance was trying to be strong, to act as if he were indifferent but it hurt to even ask.

"When are you going to get a new paladin? We all know I can't pilot Blue anymore and you need to be able to form Voltron if you want to stop Zarkon. You don't have to wait till I'm better to find someone."

Keith shook his head, a humourless laugh huffing from his downturned lips.

"We aren't replacing you, Lance. You know Blue would never let us, even if we wanted to."

Lance pressed his lips together and glared at the ceiling, his hands gripping the mattress as the pain from his bad leg clouded his head. He couldn't think clearly enough to formulate his words like he wanted. He hadn't wanted to cry, or get upset over it. He wanted to at least look like he was okay handing off his beloved Lion to someone else. A real hero would gladly pass on his responsibility if it meant saving the universe.

"I can't… we have to be smart about it, Keith. Voltron can't have any weak links, and I'm pretty weak right now. It's… okay, with me. I know what has to be done, and it's fine. Just drop me off on earth and go save the universe with the new blue paladin. Maybe one of the Mamora fighters, I'm sure they'll be great at it."

Keith wouldn't look at him anymore, and just shrugged, as he concentrated on being gentle with Lance's leg.

"That's stupid, you aren't going anywhere, we need you."

Lance slapped the mattress, annoyed at what he thought was illogical sentiment and nothing more. The smartest option would be to replace him and defeat Zarkon, and the only reason he wasn't being listened to was because they didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"Keith!"

The red paladin finally looked up, mouth set into a frown. He looked more impatient than mad.

"No, Lance. I know what you're thinking but it's not about the fact that we love you too much to just drop you somewhere and leave without you. Do you remember when we first started training with the lions? We were terrible; we hadn't bonded with our lions, or each other and we had no idea how to form Voltron, let alone work as a team. It's been almost six years now, and we know each other so well we barely have to speak to know each other's next move in battle.

"We need to be at the top of our game if we want to defeat Zarkon, and we can't do that if we have some newbie in _your_ lion, that doesn't even know how to activate his bayard. If you aren't in that cock pit, we won't be able to form Voltron, and we'll fail. So, I don't want to hear any more of this, replacing you, crap. You are going to work hard and get better, and get back in your lion and we _will_ save the universe."

Lance had to admit it was a pretty damn good speech, he sniffed and tried to wipe his eyes without Keith noticing, as his leg was moved again by those gentle hands.

"Okay, but I still won't be able to walk."

Keith had calmed down a little, now that Lance had seemed to get the idea of being replaced out of his head. His tone lightened as he replied.

"Hunk and Pidge are modifying your Paladin suit and adding tech that'll take your weight from you bad leg so you'll be able to walk during battle. But you can't wear it all the time, otherwise your muscles will atrophy and you won't be able to walk at all, so it's only for emergencies. They're making you a cane for everyday use though, so you can use it when you're strong enough. I think I heard them talk about adding lasers to it or something, but I don't know if that's a good idea."

He looked up at Lance and sighed, face softening.

"We aren't giving up on you Lance and this isn't the end, you just need to be patient and have a little bit more faith in yourself and your team."

Lance nodded and offered a small, grateful smile.

"Thanks."

Keith smiled back, and nodded.

"You're welcome. Only a few more minutes of these stretches and we can get back to our fun times; I've missed you love bites."

A laugh burst from Lance and he raised his eyebrows, throwing off his bad mood.

"Uh, you're the one that likes to use his teeth, Mr half Galra."

Keith laid Lance's leg down and crawled over to him, straddling him as he leant down to press his mouth to his boyfriend's neck.

"Hmm, you love it."

Lance weaved his fingers into Keith's hair as he held the back of his head, closing his eyes at the touch of teeth and tongue on his skin.

"I love _you_."

Keith sat up, pressing his forehead to Lance's and smiling.

"I love you, too."

Keith could taste Lance's smile in their kiss, and this time, Hunk didn't interrupt.


	7. Chapter 7

"Baaabe it's time to get up!"

Lance groaned as Keith leant over him, wriggling his nose into Lance's neck to try and wake him. The blue paladin tried pushing his boyfriend away, only to be attacked with kisses all over his face.

He let out a squawk of indignation before giggling and opening his eyes. Keith smiled and leant back to look at his beautiful boyfriend. He didn't know how the Cuban boy managed to look so adorable after just waking up, but he did.

His hair was slightly curly, with a couple of locks falling over his forehead, those freckles spotting his nose and cheeks, gathering when he smiled in that lazy happy way of his, eyes lit up with love.

"What are you staring at?"

Keith hummed in pleasure at the low rumble of Lance's voice and pressed a kiss to his smiling lips.

"I just really love you. But you have to get up, because Coran said we can start with the walking bars today!"

Lance groaned and tried to roll over, only managing to lean slightly to the side and grab his pillow, to pull over his face.

"Noooo."

Keith lifted the pillow to peek at his boyfriends pouting face.

"You don't want to?"

Lance shook his head, and threw an arm out to grab a fistful of Keith's shirt, pulling him in for cuddle.

"No, I just want to stay in bed with my wonderful, handsome, boyfriend." It almost worked, Lance wriggling his nose into Keith's neck and kissing the skin there, but the red paladin was too excited to let it deter him.

"Lance, it's going to be good! You finally get to use the bars, which means you'll be able to walk again! Aren't you excited?"

The Cuban boy actually wasn't that excited. His bad leg still hurt, and although the physical therapy had been going well, he still couldn't feel his leg all that well. How the hell was he supposed to hold his own weight if he couldn't even feel the limb?

He frowned grumpily and whined when Keith pulled himself from the cuddle.

"Nooo, come back. I don't want to go."

Lance looked genuinely upset but Keith just placed his hands on Lance's cheeks and smushed his face together, making his lips pout.

"Come on Shnookums, it won't be that bad. I'll be with you."

The frown dissolved from Lance's face as a surprised laugh bubbled from his mouth. "Don't call me that."

"Why not honey pot?" Lance laughed again, genuinely finding it hilarious that Keith was so excited.

"Cause it's so dopey. And you're supposed to be a scary, badass, emo, warrior; you can't be calling your boyfriend stupid pet names."

Keith shrugged, unfazed as he released Lance's face to pick him up instead. He slipped his careful hands under the blue paladin's legs and back, lifting him in a bridal carry out of bed.

"Who says?"

Lance was distracted enough by their banter that he didn't complain about being moved, only wrapped his arms around Keith's neck.

"I don't know. Me?"

"You don't like them?"

"They're terrible."

Keith carried Lance to the med wing of the castle, smiling at how easy it was to tease Lance, and how much he liked doing it. It reminded him of when they'd first come together as Voltron and how they'd been at each other's throats all the time. Of course, that had only been a way for them both to mask their true feelings. "Nah, they're cute, just like you."

Lance smiled up at his handsome man, kissing his stubbled jaw. "You are in such a good mood today."

* * *

Keith looked down and kissed the tip of Lance's nose, making him screw it up adorably. "Yeah its cause I finally get to see that ass of yours again. You've been sitting on it for weeks."

Lance threw a hand up, but smiled as he laughed.

"I can't walk!"

"Not with that attitude you can't. Come on cookie crumb, you'll do great, you'll see."

"Pfftt, what kind of a name is that? Cookie crumb."

"Honey bear?"

"Meh."

"Myyy one and only?"

"Better."

"My brightest shining star!"

"Keith, stop."

Keith laughed at Lance's reaction, and turned down a hall to arrive at the medical wing.

"Okay, whatever you say…. Snugglepuss."

Lance laughed again as they entered the bright white room, to find Coran waiting for them.

"Hello boys, lovely morning, isn't it?

Lance grunted in a noncommittal way, as Keith sat him down on a seat against the wall. The Altean came over with a device that looked something like a cage but for a limb. He took Lance's bad leg and carefully fitted him with the device.

"This will help you stand and keep your leg straight so that you can strengthen the muscles until they're strong enough to hold your weight again."

Keith watched carefully, laying a hand on Lance's shoulder in an offer of comfort, knowing the blue paladin was nervous.

"I still can't feel my leg though. I have…tingles I guess? Like pins and needles in some places but aren't I supposed to be able to feel it by now?"

Coran made a face, something between apology and 'I don't know.'

"I have done some research but, I'm not a human doctor; unfortunately, I don't have all the information I'd like. I think, maybe, it just takes a little time. Don't give up just yet."

He wasn't so convinced but Keith seemed to be happy, helping Lance stand with his new brace on. "

Keith smiled and took his hands, pulling him to his hesitant feet. "Come on, you can do it!"

Lance looked unsure, maybe even a little scared as he stared at his feet. He'd barely been out of bed and now they wanted him to just walk? What if he fell? He was already in a lot of pain, and always would be, and he didn't want to think about how much it would hurt if he hit that floor on his bad leg.

When he refused to move, Keith softened his voice, ducking his head to try and meet his boyfriend's eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong? If you aren't ready, that's okay. But I really think you can do this."

Lance didn't look up, still staring at his feet, and keeping his good knee locked to keep him standing.

"Lance?"

Keith held Lance's hands tight as he carefully shuffled behind him, making Lance flinch hard and pull him back, worried he'd fall without him. Keith met his eyes and offered a soft smile.

"It's okay, I'm not going to let go of you." He moved behind the blue paladin and wrapped his arms around his waist, hands strong and firm as he supported his weight.

"Try and fall."

"What?!"

Keith laughed at the others incredulous tone. "Try and fall, I won't let go I just want to show you what will happen if you lose your footing."

Lance wasn't sure what he was getting at but he trusted him, so, tightly gripping Keith's arms, he took his good leg off the floor.

He dipped a little, but didn't fall, as Keith's arms kept him safe, pressed to his chest.

"There, see? You're safe; now start walking, you can do it."

He placed Lance on his feet again and gave him a kiss on the cheek, arms staying tightly wrapped around his waist.

Lance swallowed his fear and took a deep breath. Keith wouldn't let anything bad happen to him, and he wouldn't give up now. The blue paladin slowly shuffled one leg forward, before dragging his left with him.

The movement caused an ache in his hip but the brace kept him standing. A small smile spread across his face as he took another step. Keith was doing most of the work, holding him up so that he could move his legs without having to take his own weight just yet, but it felt good nonetheless and he was just a little proud of himself.

Keith laughed behind him, triumphant. "I told you, you could do it!"

Those smiling lips pressed themselves to the space underneath Lance's ear, as the red paladin spoke between the kisses he planted.

"I'm so proud of you, babe." His voice was thick with pride but there was something like tears in the hitch in his voice.

Despite the help to stand, Lance was growing tired from the work out; legs not used to the exercise just yet.

Keith helped him sit down and kept in front of him. His eyes were wide with excitement and Lance loved that smile but he was a little skeptical.

"Why are you so excited about this? And don't tell me the excuse you used last time because I know that's not it. Although my ass is one of the thirteen wonders of the universe."

Keith's smile faltered just a little, before he smiled wider, forcing his face to stay bright.

"I'm just glad you're getting better."

Lance frowned and took one of Keith's hands. They had been through so much together, and they'd always promised not to keep secrets. Lance kept his voice soft as he brushed a finger over his loves cheek.

"You can tell me, Keith. You don't have to pretend."

The joy slowly slipped from the other man's face and he looked down at their clasped hands as he spoke.

"It really is that I'm glad you're getting better. It... it took so long to dig you out of the rubble, and when we finally found you, the damage was so bad I was just praying you'd survive. I couldn't think of anything else. But then Coran told us about the damage to your leg and all I could think was that it should have been me."

Lance let out a small displeased breath. "Keith."

The man continued, getting a little choked up as he recalled the horrible hole on his chest, when he hadn't known if Lance would be okay. "He made me choose and... I thought that either way I could lose you."

His face split into a smile again, a real one, as he finally looked up, but Lance could see the tears in Keith's eyes.

"But you're okay! I didn't know if you'd ever be able to stand again but you're doing it! You're walking, and I know you won't go back to how you were before. But I get to keep you and I'm just..."

He sniffed and wiped his eyes as he let out an embarrassed laugh.

"Dammit."

Lance smiled and pulled his forward for a hug, grateful for Keith's words. He had been feeling pretty pitiful about his progress but comparing it to how he was a few weeks ago, he was doing amazing. And Keith was proud of him. That's all he needed.

"Thank you for saving me."

Keith hugged him back, before pulling back and kissing him instead. There were so many things in that kiss. Hope, pride, trust, longing.

The red paladin looked into those blue eyes that he dreamed about so often.

"I love you, lance."

And there, that smile, was the brightest thing in the universe. "I love you too."

...

Lance had been training for a few weeks, and although he still needed a cane, and found walking tiring and painful, he could get around by himself. He was about as healed as he would get, so Keith thought it was time he executed his carefully laid out plan.

Hunk came to him with his finished project, the one Keith had asked him to do so long ago, and clapped his friend on the back.

"You ready for this?"

Keith smiled, unable to hold in his excitement. "I think so. I've been practicing for ages and I think I may have finally gotten the words right."

The whole team was brought in on the plan, carefully hiding everything from Lance until it was ready. Allura flew them to a mall to pick up supplies before heading to the flower planet they had loved so much.

Keith woke his boyfriend early, earlier than he usually would, and in a sleek black tux. Lance's bleary eyes were suddenly wide and pleased.

"Damn babe, you look good! What's the occasion?"

Keith couldn't stop smiling, he almost wanted to get down and give his speech right there and then. But no, the plan was perfect. He pulled out a bag on a coat hanger.

"I have one for you too. I just thought, we could watch the sunrise together."

Lance laughed and ran his fingers down Keith's suit lapel. "In a tux? Okay, but only because you look so amazing."

Keith helped his boyfriend into his suit, the midnight blue fabric looking beautiful against his dark skin.

Lance loved looking good but he still wasn't sure what was happening. It seemed Keith wasn't going to tell him though, so he just went with it, following the dashing man outside.

The air was sweet with the scent of honey dew and flowers, and the sun was just beginning to rise as they stepped out onto the beautiful planet.

Keith was holding Lance's hand as he led them to a small hill overlooking the fields. He was suddenly nervous as he took the blue paladins hands. Lance's cane was standing beside him, but he managed to stay standing without it, thanks to a small device that Hunk had made, which attacked to his hip and ran a small current through his leg, contracting the muscles enough to keep him on his feet for a short while if he needed.

Keith swallowed and smiled at the man that he loved more than anything.

"Lance, we've been through a lot together, and we've been together for a long time now… and I've been thinking. I don't want you to be my boyfriend anymore."

Keith was smiling but his words hit Lance like a sledge hammer. His breath caught in his throat and he tried to pull his hands away.

"Are you breaking up with me? You brought me here, just to break up with me?"

Keith pulled his hands back and shook his head, giving Lance a reassuring smile.

"No, no way. I'm not breaking up with you, I just… I have something to say."

Lance was skeptical now, and more than a little nervous, but Keith looked so excited he just nodded.

Keith began again, hands shaking just a little in Lance's hold.

"When the tunnel collapsed with you in it, I thought you were gone. Despite everything we've been through and endured and everything we've lost, that was the worst moment of my life. Thinking that I had lost you, killed me inside and I just… I knew I'd die if you did.

"And then Coran said I had to choose between your leg and your life; he said I had to choose because I was your boyfriend and I just remember thinking that, that word was so small. I had this hole in my chest at the thought that I could lose you, and it felt like I was rotting from the inside out and boyfriend just wasn't enough.

"It didn't say everything I felt for you. It didn't say you are everything I ever could have hoped for, and it didn't come close to saying I'd love you forever. It just wasn't enough. And it still isn't.

"Lance I can't live without you. You're strong, and brave, and kind, and you are my favorite part of the universe. We've seen moons and suns and stars and you are still the brightest, most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Keith's eyes were shining, wet with tears, and Lance was getting choked up, both of them smiling as the light of the sunrise washed over them. They were lit up like stars, beautiful and eternal.

Keith continued, love drenching every word he spoke.

"You're a hero, and good man, and the love of my life and I don't want to call you my boyfriend anymore."

Holding Lance's hands, smiling up at him, he got down on one knee. Lance gasped and let go of one of Keith's hands to bring his own to his mouth in shock.

He let out a whispered word. "Keith."

The red paladin pulled a ring from his pocket, smooth dark metal, with a thumbprint on the side.

"Lance McClain, will you do me the absolute honor of allowing me to call you my husband?"

Lance let out a shocked breath, his hand coming away to reveal with smile.

"Yes!"

The red paladin slipped the ring onto Lance's waiting finger and stood so that Lance could pull him into a fierce hug.

"Oh my god, Keith we're getting married!"

Keith hugged him back, as he laughed. He'd been so nervous and so excited at the same time. Now all he could do was hold his fiancé and cry.

Another round of sniffs came from behind the two and Keith released Lance to smile at the rest of team Voltron.

"He said yes!"

Lance took his cane in one hand as Hunk ran to hug him.

"Dude, you have no idea how much I wanted to tell you! Keith had me make your rings weeks ago. That's Keith's thumbprint and your print is on his ring. Ohh, and if you run your finger over it, it'll let you feel Keith's heartbeat."

"Dude, that's amazing, it's beautiful. Thank you"

Everyone was smiling and laughing as they congratulated the two.

Shiro laid a hand on their shoulders and smiled. "I'm really proud of you two." Keith took Lance's hand in his, smiling wider than he ever had in his life.

Allura and Coran began excitedly chattering away about making wedding preparations, while Lance patted Hunk on the shoulder.

"Buddy, you've been my best friend since forever, will you be my best man?" The yellow paladin smiled as his eyes grew teary. He swept Lance and Keith into a group hug as he laughed.

"I'd love to!"

Shiro had been asked to be Keith's best man already, and had gladly accepted. Keith had been planning it out in secret, and already had almost everything sorted. The Princess, being a royal, would marry them, and Coran would assist with the tethering ceremony.

Lance turned to Pidge, but she interrupted before he even opened his mouth. "Do not ask me to be your flower girl."

The blue paladin let out a snort at the girls unhappy grimace. "No, of course not. You wanna be my maid of honor?"

Her face lit up and she threw her arms around her space brother.

"Hell yes! But I'm wearing a suit."

Keith ruffled her hair, in the way only few were permitted to do. "Whatever you want, Pidge."

The whole team was laughing and talking, as the sunrise washed over them all. Light poured over the paladins and as Lance took his fiancé's hand, he couldn't help but think everything was perfect.


End file.
